


Marked

by DearOne



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feral Derek Hale, M/M, Wolf Derek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-10-17
Packaged: 2017-12-25 14:31:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/954236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearOne/pseuds/DearOne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sweet boyfriend? Check. A nice apartment? Check. Still alive at twenty-two? Check. Stiles is pretty happy with his life at the moment. Except, he feels like there's something missing. Some nights when he's lying awake at night, he tells himself it's the darkness that Deaton said would forever surround his heart.</p>
<p>Other nights, he wakes from images of a faceless man dressed in black, who could be none other than Derek Hale, the man who managed to get under his skin and never left. Even if the werewolf moved out of his life six years ago.</p>
<p>Stiles hated that he couldn't differentiate his feelings between the two events, which happened at roughly the same time. It left him wondering if Derek returned, would the empty void in his heart be filled?</p>
<p>A phone call linking Stiles to Derek's location just might get him his answers. And just like all things in Stiles' life, perhaps more than he bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and a Magic Bullet in His Shoe

**Author's Note:**

> M rating might move up to explicit depending on how this goes in the future. XD

"So, you two are finally gonna take the plunge, huh?" Scott quirked his eyebrow at Stiles from across the table.

"Dude, we're not getting married. It just seems like it would make things a hell of a lot easier if he moves in and we split the rent to a two bedroom apartment." Stiles rolled his eyes. This was the third time he had to explain his situation with Mark Styles, his boyfriend of three years. He was tired of people telling him that he should hurry and take his relationship to a new level when he was perfectly fine with keeping everything as is. "I blame you for this, you know? If you hadn't moved out--

"I don't see what you're waiting for." Scott said over Stiles. "You've been dating him longer than Allison and I dated if you count the days when we were actually officially together. And, look, we're still happily married."

"You've been married three weeks, Scott."

"Yes, and we're still happily married. Together." Scott grinned.

Stiles shook his head at his best friend, who also happened to be his brother-in-law since their parents got married last year. He sighed as he thought about all the weddings that occurred since they graduated from Beacon Hills High. First, the double elopement of Danny and Ethan, and Lydia and Aiden. As it turned out, the couples raced to Vegas to see who could get hitched first. Once they arrived, they ended up tying the knot at the same time. What's winning a race when you could have two weddings for the price of one? 

The following year, Chris Argent married Mora Hart, the recently appointed Sheriff, who took his father's place after he reluctantly accepted a promotion AKA The Desk Job. Not only did it increase the likelihood of a longer life, it paid more. Stiles still called his father everyday to check up on him. Or at least that was until Mrs. McCall became Mrs. Stilinski, which happened before Mr. Argent returned from his honeymoon with his new wife, Mora. Since then they have family group calls between him and Scott and their parents. Allison also has been included in a few calls, more often now since she and Scott got married. Stiles wondered who would be next. Isaac or Jackson, who recently moved back to Beacon Hills, or it might even be Greenberg. He didn't much care who it was on the list so long as it wasn't him.

"So, you gonna do it or what?" Scott asked, pulling Stiles back from his thoughts.

"Do what now?"

"Dude?!"

"Oh, _Oh!_ I don't know, maybe. It's just, why rush?"

Scott finished off his burger and looked pointedly at Stiles. "Mark is totally in love with you, you know?"

Stiles sighed. He knew alright. Mark wasn't the kind of person to hide his feelings. In fact, he was the kind of guy who made sure everyone knew just how he felt or thought about. Even more than Stiles himself and that was saying something because when does he not speak his mind?

When it came down to a person who probably wouldn't have cared what he had to say, Stiles realized. Sure, he told him everything that came to mind just as he did with everyone else. Without a filter. With no holds barred. Except... _except_ when it mattered the most. But he wasn't given the chance because Derek left without a word.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Stiles blinked back at Scott, confused for a moment why Scott seemed so blurry. 

"You always get that look as if..." Scott cleared his throat, cutting himself off.

The bell over the diner door rang when a couple came in. It rang a second time when a different couple left moments later. "I, uhh, I gotta go, picking up Mark at--" Stiles looked down as his ringtone played We are the Champions. "That's probably him right now." He pulled out his cell from his pocket and slid his finger across the screen without checking who it was, and answered his call. "Yeah, I'll be there in ten."

"Yeah? Because it's urgent that you come by as soon as possible. I'm not sure how long we could keep your wolf here," said an unfamiliar voice.

"My wolf?"

"Yeah, this is Taylor Lock from Place Your Paws Animal Shelter in Brooklyn, New York. And we found your wolf. Actually, we can't be certain he's a wolf without a DNA test, of course. But, anyway, you need to come down and pick him up. He's quite the handful, and I'm not sure, but from the looks of him, feral. If he were mine, I would seriously consider--"

"Wait. _What?_ Wolf? Feral? Mine? What?"

TBC


	2. Werewolves on a Plane

"Are you kidding me?" Scott pulled back Stiles' arm before he reached his jeep.

"Scott, it's _him_. I know it."

"And even if it was Derek, that doesn't mean you have to drop everything and catch the next flight to New York. Think about it, Stiles. It's been years since he contacted us. This could be a trap."

Stiles twisted his arm from Scott's grip. "If it's a trap that means Derek needs help. And if he needs help then I'm going. And he may not have contacted us, but we haven't contacted him either. The road goes both ways, Scott." Stiles didn't know why but he had to make that point clear. "Look, I understand that you can't come with. What with Allison and the baby on the way and everything. But there's nothing holding me here and--" As soon as Stiles said it he knew he said the wrong thing, and he winced. "That's not what I meant." 

"I know what you meant. Geez, Stiles. We're bros aren't we? Literally now. Anyway, okay, I get it. But do you have to leave now? You haven't even packed a toothbrush."

"There's toothbrushes in New York. I just need to get my meds."

"And what about Mark, you gonna tell him?"

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down, he totally forgot about Mark. He cursed himself for being such an asshole. Mark would never have forgotten his existence. And Mark sure as hell wouldn't have left without a word. His stomach twisted as he certainly knew the feeling of being left and he was just about to do that to Mark. Even if he was coming back, it didn't make things better. Mark didn't deserve this. He fingered the edge of his phone in his pocket. He knew he had to tell him, but how? "Okay, you're right. I'll umm, I need to pick him up. And I'll tell him."

"About Derek too?" Scott asked, curiously. But he didn't sound as if he was prodding him for answers.

Stiles licked his lips. He never told Scott how hurt he was when Derek left because that would mean admitting that he had feelings for the older man. And he wasn't even sure what those feelings meant yet. It's been six years and he still didn't figure out if that rolling in his gut whenever he thought about Derek was because he was angry at him for leaving without a word, as if they meant nothing to him, or if it was because when he left it felt like a part of himself went missing. But then it could just be that darkness that hasn't stopped eating up his insides. "I'll tell him I'm meeting Derek. A friend. I don't think he needs to know anything else about him."

"And what about your umm, your unresolved feel--"

"Okay, now, that's not fair. Who told you--"

"Dude, as if we need words to communicate, you idiot." Scott raised his eyebrow at him and grinned.

And Stiles was thankful for it. It was as if Scott knew he needed help lifting the weight from his shoulders. He shook his head at Scott and pulled him in a one armed hug, but Scott wasn't having that as Stiles felt Scott wrap both of his arms around him and pulled him flush against his chest.

"You sap," Scott muttered.

"Jerk, why you gotta make me feel like a total girl." Stiles sighed as he pulled away from Scott. He blinked back the wetness that got in his eyes. He wasn't going to tell Scott right then, but he felt like he was sixteen again when nothing made sense. Funny how it still didn't make sense at twenty-two, what with still needing to fight back the constant supernatural and keeping up with work and scraping together a personal life, but at least he felt like he fit into his life. The paranormal was just normal to him now. As he took in Scott's still boyish face and met his eyes, he knew that Scott felt the same way. Scott's eyes held too much for a man in his twenties. He's seen too much, been through too much. His eyes gave him away. Stiles wondered what his own eyes held. 

"I could call Isaac so you don't have to go alone. And sure you could take care of yourself and everything, but when you get back and he hears that you saw Derek--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I won't hear the end of it." Stiles nodded. "Yeah, call him. I'll look up the upcoming flights and forward them to you. It's..." Stiles looked down at his watch. "It's 6 now, there might be a flight that we can still manage tonight."

Scott opened his mouth to speak, but closed it a moment later. He was probably going to tell him that maybe this could wait until morning but thought better of it. "Okay, I'll have him call you. And I guess I won't see you tomorrow so..." Scott pulled him into another hug and patted his shoulder. "I expect the usual. Call at every eight."

Stiles nodded. That was a thing for their pack. If they ever had to do a mission alone that took more than a day, they always had to call in to someone at eight in the morning and eight at night so that they were aware of what was going on. But in this pack, they rarely did things alone. And with Isaac who will most definitely want to see Derek again, even if it is just to punch his face in, Stiles wasn't going to New York alone, mission or not. 

***

Not only did Isaac come along but Jackson joined them as well. Stiles wondered why he would want to go on a trip with them, but then again he realized Jackson had returned to Beacon Hills looking for Derek. So it made sense that he was there with them. They had met up at Scott's place three hours after Stiles first got the call from Taylor Lock. And Scott dropped them off at the airport to wait out the next flight to New York. And thirty minutes later, they were boarding the plane. Everything seemed to go without hitch. But, of course, boarding the plane should have been the easy part. 

"Why does Jackson get the window seat? He's been on a plane a billion times. As it is my first time, I should--"

"Fuck, Lahey, had I known you wanted your airplane cherry popped--"

"You'll let me have the window?"

"No, I would have asked if you'd like to join the mile high--"

"Oh my fucking--Jackson, Isaac, I swear if you two don't stop I'll leave you guys in New York and not give you the address to Derek." Stiles gave the two men at his sides a look. First at Jackson, then at Isaac. He may be the human between them, but he was pleased that he was able to get both werewolves to listen to him. He wasn't much surprised with Isaac because he generally listened. But he was surprised with Jackson because well, he was still a douche-bag but ever since he turned into a werewolf and Derek gave him werewolf 101, he seemed to not be the total epic douche-bag that he was back in high school. And Stiles was more than surprised when they switched seats without a question when he told them to. They were being very accommodating, Stiles realized. "So--"

"So, this wolf. This actual wolf, you really think it's Derek?" Isaac asked him as soon as he settled into his seat.

"And if he's a wolf, does that mean he's an alpha again?" Jackson asked before Stiles could even think to answer Isaac.

"How should I know? All the guy said was that they found a wolf who happened to be mine."

"And so we're flying to New York on that bit alone?" Isaac narrowed his eyes. "Scott said that Derek lived in New York before he returned to Beacon Hills in search for his sister, is this animal shelter even in the same area?"

"Yeah, yeah. Brooklyn." Stiles nodded.

"You guys realize that Brooklyn is like the most populated place in the States. Don't you guys think the chances are slim? I mean, we don't even know that he headed back to New York."

"Thank you for the geography lesson, Jackson. God, I know the chances are slim but what if? And Derek is the only connection that we have in New York so our chances might not be that slim after all."

"Correction: Derek is _your_ only connection to New York. I on the other hand have several," Jackson said, letting his douchiness shine.

"Good because we might need a place to stay when we get there. You might want to contact one of your connections and connect us." Stiles ginned and winked at Jackson when he furrowed his brows.

When Jackson cursed under his breath Stiles turned back to Isaac. "Actually, I think our chances are pretty fucking high that it is Derek because the man said the wolf looked feral. And if this feral wolf belonged to a Stiles Stilinski, well how many Stiles Stilinski's are there?"

Isaac nodded. "Point."

TBC


	3. Lost and Found

Stiles stumbled out of the taxi as soon as they arrived at Place Your Paws. 

Something wasn't right. It wasn't the fact that he didn't know what he was getting into. That was pretty much the normal with him. It wasn't because he was in New York or that he was there for Derek because let's face it, even after all this time there is very little that he wouldn't do for the man. What was off was the fact that he was in New York and New York has this policy where wolf owning wasn't a thing. A person needed a permit and Stiles didn't have one and yet he was contacted to come and claim his wolf as they put it.

Sure it seemed the guy on the phone couldn't be sure that the animal they took in was actually a wolf without a DNA test, but then what if they requested one? And if the animal was indeed a wolf and that the wolf was indeed Derek, what then? Would Stiles be faced with a fine that he sure as hell wouldn't be able to pay off? Jail time? Yeah, that wouldn't work so well for him. But what if the dog was actually a wolf that was actually Derek and he was actually feral? Would they not release him from the facility? Would they put him down? But then wolves were endangered. So would they ship him off to some reserve? What then? Stiles didn't know what was at risk here and it worried him that this may be beyond his control.

"Hey, guys?" Isaac waved Stiles and Jackson over to a post just outside the building.

Stiles zeroed in on the black and white photo that took up more that three quarters of the sign, a picture of a great black animal stared back at him. Could it be Derek? Stiles never thought that Derek shifting completely into a wolf was possible, even when he had turned alpha. Even when he saw that it was possible in Peter. And Derek's sister, Laura. And apparently, Derek's mother was able to shift completely as well. But for some reason, he never thought that Derek was capable of it. Maybe because something in him wanted Derek to be more human. But wasn't that a joke because knowing that Derek was a werewolf always seemed to make Stiles' heart race. Stiles may not have seen Derek in wolf form before, but somehow, looking at the animal in the picture, he knew that it couldn't be Derek. It was all wrong. Stiles felt gutted. Hollow. He didn't realize until now how much he had been anticipating this moment and for it to all fall flat made his heart sink.

"Check out the description," Isaac said, pulling Stiles away from his thoughts and forcing him to shift his gaze away from the picture and read the words below it. "Lost dog," Isaac snorted as he read.

He was probably thinking the same thing that Stiles was thinking, it was no wolf. The ears were too angled, the eyes were too... _round?_ Stiles thought. If Derek was to shift into a wolf, wouldn't he at least keep his eyes? And this animal didn't have Derek's eyes.

Stiles stepped away from the post, not wanting to look at the picture anymore. He vaguely heard Isaac still reading the description on the sign.

"Blue eyes. Black fur. No collar. Named Derek."

Jackson was the one to snort this time. "If that is Derek, then that is the most domesticated I've ever seen him."

Stiles tensed at Jackson's words. He wanted to tell him off because Jackson wasn't around to see how much Derek had changed before he left. But then, didn't he have the same thoughts? That the dog in the picture may be wolf-like, but there was no way that it could be mistaken for a wolf or a hybrid even. There was nothing wild about it, and Derek, even if he had softened somewhat before he left and even if he continued along that path, something in Stiles knew that Derek wouldn't lose that intensity he always seemed to exude.

"Well, wolf or not, it does list Stiles as owner." Isaac clapped him on the shoulder. "We're here, we might as well check the place out. Who knows, maybe Derek set this up to get you to come down here."

Stiles sighed. Maybe.

***

As soon as they got inside, Stiles asked for Taylor and as it turned out, Taylor was already at the front desk, awaiting their arrival. 

"Thank god you're here. We weren't sure we could hold your pet any longer. The animals were going crazy. We had to keep him in solitary confinement across the facility."

Stiles nodded, not sure how the animal in the picture could cause so much trouble but he didn't question it.

"I've never actually seen a wolf up close before," Taylor said, excitedly, as he waved Stiles, Jackson and Isaac to a room in the back. "So I did some research. Of course, after you checked out as owner we didn't want to run any tests without your permission." 

They arrived in a small office and Taylor gestured for them over to take a seat. "Before I take you back, I'll need to see some ID. I mean, you do look like the picture on your permit but it's procedure, you understand?"

Stiles took out his wallet and pulled out his driver's license. He wasn't sure how Taylor had everything checked out. Isaac's idea of Derek setting this up seemed to make more and more sense. After all if Derek could fake his license, why wouldn't the guy be able to fake a permit as well?

Taylor made a show of matching Stiles' ID with the information on the screen of his computer. "Okay, I'll just need for you to sign here and I'll lead you to Derek." Taylor pulled a white sheet with carbon paper attached, he circled the 'x' towards the bottom and handed it to Stiles to sign. "Interesting name, by the way."

"Err, yeah, I get that a lot. It's Polish."

Taylor laughed unexpectedly, jarring Stiles. He seemed to be caught in a laughing fit so Stiles used the awkward moment to take in Taylor's features. He thought it would probably be a good idea to commit him to memory just in case things turned sour. As it wouldn't be the first time that they walked into a trap. So Stiles took stock of Taylor's pointed nose, and dirty blond shaggy hair. His freckles and large teeth. His voice seemed deep for his body and cracked mid-sentence, which was pretty much expected as he looked to be about sixteen. Stiles felt a pang of nostalgia as he sat in an animal shelter that wasn't much different from the animal clinic that Scott worked at since he was a teenager himself.

"Yeah, yeah, your name is strange," Taylor was saying now. "But Derek, I meant, you know, for a wolf. We don't get a lot of animals with people names."

"Yeah, well. It's like he chose the name for himself." Stiles nodded politely and met Taylor's smile with one of his own. 

"When I first saw your sign, I read the wolf's name as Stiles and yours as Derek's." Taylor chuckled at his mix-up. "But I guess it does makes sense. Did you know that Derek is a form of Theodoric? And Theodoric means 'people-ruler.' Fitting." Taylor grinned.

"I didn't know that, learn something new everyday. And I suppose it does fit." Stiles nodded in agreement even if he was only half listening to what the guy was actually saying. Stiles wondered if the guy woke up every morning this peppy. Taylor reminded Stiles of Mark, and that was a jolt to his system because he realized he didn't call Mark when they arrived in New York like he had promised. Stiles looked down at the sheet of paper he was holding and picked up a pen after skimming the fine print. Some mumbo jumbo about safety and regulations. Stiles signed next to the 'x' and handed it back.

"Okay, I'm sure you waited long enough. Let me take you guys there. And once you ID him, I'll just need for you to sign a few more papers. And just so you know, even if there were no recent reports of any wolf attacks on humans, you'll need to be in close contact until we get the all clear. Procedure and all."

Stiles nodded, even if he had no clue of said procedure. Taylor led them down a corridor of cages, a few dogs were held inside. And Stiles looked over at Isaac to see a confused look on his face. When the werewolf took notice, he shrugged at Stiles.

"Rather quiet for an animal shelter," Isaac pointed out.

"Yeah," Taylor agreed as he waved to an empty cage. "It's not usually this quiet. But ever since we put your Derek in this cage, the other animals here grew a bit uneasy. It didn't help that Derek was quite uneasy himself, he wouldn't stop pacing and growling. We got the idea that we shouldn't keep him so close to the others, especially if we didn't know if he was feral or not. So we moved him to the other side. It seemed to relax them somewhat, but it's as if they are still holding their breath. Quite the animal you have, Stiles. When I first saw Derek, I admit, I was in awe myself. I mean, he's rather breathtaking and just... I guess great is a word to use. It's like he commands respect if that makes sense." 

Stiles rolled his eyes as he pictured the dog on the post outside the building. _Yeah sure, the dog was beautiful. But Breathtaking?_

Taylor pushed open the door which led them outside. "Derek's still rather restless even out here, but I'm thinking an animal like that just doesn't get along with cages. Unfortunately, we aren't equipped to have it any other way. But at least we aren't that full at the moment so we were able to separate the animals." They made a turn to see a row of cages that lined the wall. They were all empty save for one. And as soon as Stiles laid eyes on the massive beast inside, Stiles nearly stumbled.

It was as if the animal was waiting for Stiles to draw near. It stood on all fours and his startling blue eyes were trained on his. And when he met his gaze, Stiles swallowed, his breath catching in his throat as a shiver ran up his spine. _Derek._

Stiles' surroundings seemed to fade away as he kept his eyes locked with the wolf before him. It's been six years since he saw those eyes in person and all the feelings he denied himself and chose to ignore, seemed to hit him like a thrashing wave. Feelings of bottled anger and unresolved tension, feelings of untapped understanding and confusion surged up inside of him and Stiles couldn't help but wonder if he was drowning. He vaguely heard Jackson calling his name, and barely felt Isaac grip his arm. Stiles shook his head and he took a shaky step forward, towards the cage and it took him another second to gather his wits. If he didn't then his knees would surely buckle out from under him. He let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. One step. Two steps. _Another step and you're there,_ he told himself. He managed to make his way over to the cage. "Damn you, Derek," Stiles said when he came to grip the metal separating them. He allowed himself to look away if only to collect himself. "Let's get him out of here.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I have no idea of the going ons at animal shelters and all. I've only ever stayed behind the scenes. But I hope it can be believable XD


End file.
